Lantern-guard.



G. L. BETTS.

LANTERN GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1908.-

923,483. I Patented June 1, 1909.

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mm %//%%W UhlllTFil) CHARLES L. BETTS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TOR. E. DIETZ COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LANTERN-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 29,

Patented June 1, 1909.

1908. Serial No. $10,933.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OnAnLEs L. BnTTs, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New 5 York, borough ofBrooklyn, in the county of 1 Kings and State of New York, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Lantern- Guards, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates mainly to that class of tubular lanterns whichare provided with a guard frame of basket form to which the lantern topis hinged for introducing and removing the globe and which are providedwith a removable oil pot, as in ordinary railroad lanterns.

The object of this invention is to provide the lantern with reliable andconvenient means for locking the hinged top and the removable oil pot inposition so that the flame is inaccessible to unauthorized persons.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tubularlantern provided with these improvements. Fig. 2 is a partly sectionalelevation at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspectiveview showing the locking devices of the top and oil pot released. planview of the lower portion of the locking devices in the locked positionand on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a similar view show ing the lockingdevices released. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the lowerportion of one of the air tubes and connecting parts of the bottom,showing a modified construction of the guard wire below the tube. Fig. 7is a perspective view of the guard wire detached.

Like reference ch aracters refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the oil pot and B the body hoop or lower ring of thelantern frame into which the oil pot is inserted from below and to whichthe oil pot is detachably secured. by 1 a spring fastening or bayonetcatch. of such construction that the oil pot is given. a partialrotation in the body hoop B for engaging the oil pot with the springfastening or disengaging it therefrom. The spring fastening shown in thedrawings is of well known construction and comprises a spring catch 10on the body hoop and a stud 11 on the oil pot.

O represents the air tubes which are secured at their lower ends to thebody hoop B and open through the same into the chamber Fig. a is afragmentary l 12 within the body hoop from which the 5 burner 13 issupplied with air. These tubes extend upwardly to about the level of theupper guard ring 1 1. D represents the lan tern top which is connectedwith this guard ring by a hinge 15 at the rear side and a spring catch16 at the front side of the lantern in a well known manner, so that theglobe E can be introduced into the guard from above.

F represents the metallic chimney which is arranged within the top D andbears upon the globe so as to hold the latter on its seat in the bodyhoop.

The hinged top D comprises a cylindrical wall 17 forming the outer wallof the upper air chamber, a horizontal base flange or plate 18, andelbows 19 which extend from the cylindrical wall outwardly anddownwardly through the flange 18 and register with the open upper endsof the tubes when the top is closed down upon the guard.

20 represents the bottom guard ring and 21 represents the upright mainguard wires or members which'are arranged between the tubes and extendfrom the top ring 14 to the bottom ring 20 and are secured at the waistof the lantern with their inturned per tions to the body hoop.

22, Figs. 1 and 2, represent short supplemental upright guard members orwires which extend from the lower portions of the air tubes down to thebottom ring 20 and are provided at their upper ends with hooks or bentends which are inserted into the tubes through openings in the underside of the latter and rigidly secured therein by the tinning operationwhich is employed for I finishing the frame. If preferred, thesesupplemental members may be constructed, as represented in Figs. 6 and7, by doubling a wire 23 upon itself and bending the lower end 24 of thedoubled wire around the bottom ring 20, and spreading the upper ends 25of the doubled wire to straddle the air tube. In either construction thesupplemental member is connected with the air tube in such manner thatthese p arts steady each other.

The rigid lantern frame comprises the body hoop B, the air tubes O, thetop guard ring 14, the bottom 'uard ring 20, the main upright guardmembers 21 and the auxiliary guard members 22 or 23, and also preferablyan intermediate guard ring 26 which is secured to the main guard members21 and the air tubes.

When lanterns of this kind are used by watchmen it is often desirable tolock the top and the oil pot to the guard frame so that access cannot behad to the flame while the lantern is in use. The devices applied to thelantern for that purpose are constructed as follows:

27 represents a hasp, shackle or link which is movably connected at itsupper end 28 to the lantern top, preferably the flange 18 thereof, andwhich extends downwardly along one of the main guard members 21 to apoint opposite the oil pot. This hasp is preferably composed of twosimilar parts which are arranged on opposite sides of the adjacent guardmember and bent from a single length of wire together with a fingerpiece 29 at the lower end of the hasp. This finger piece straddles thelower portion of the adjacent fixed guard member when the lantern top isclosed, as represented in Figs. 2 and 4..

30 represents an eye or staple so arranged on the oil pot that when thelatter has been secured in the lantern frame by the spring fastening orbayonet catch it stands near the upright guard member with which thehasp 27 is engaged and is prevented by the hasp from being returned tothe unlocked position. For locking the parts in this position theshackle 31 of a padlock 32 is passed behind this guard member above thefinger piece 29 thereof and preferably also through the eye 30 of theoil pot, as represented in Figs. 2 and 4. When the parts are so engagedwith each other and locked by means of the padlock the hasp is securedby the lock to the fixed guard member, whereby the lantern top isprevented from being raised, and the oil pot prevented from being turnedin the body hoop to the position in which it is released by the springcatch 10 and can be withdrawn from the body hoop.

Upon removing the padlock the hasp 27 can be disengaged from the fixedguard member and the lantern top can be raised, as represented in Figs.3 and 5, and the oil potcan be turned in the lantern body back to theposition in which it is released by the spring fastening and can bewithdrawn from the lantern body. In Fig. 5 the oil pot stands in itsunlocked position and must be moved in the direction of the arrow inorder to reach the locked position, shown in Fig. 4, in which the eye 30on the oil pot has passed by the fixed guard member 21 and one branch ofthe hasp 27 has been engaged between the guard member and the eye andlocks the oil pot against return movement to the unlocked position. Itis preferred to pass the shackle of the padlock through the eye andsecure the latter to the fixed guard 1 member but, if desired, the eyemay be used merely as a stop which is locked against re- I turn movementby the hasp, and in that case the stop need not have the form of an eye.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a lantern, the combination with a guard frame which is open at thetop for the insertion of the globe and has its base portion providedwith fixed upright members which are arranged outside of the oil pot,and a lantern top hinged to the top portion of said frame, of a haspwhich is movably connected at its upper end to'said lantern top andadapted to be engaged at its lower end with one of the fixed uprightmembers of the base portion of the guard frame, substantially as setforth.

2. In a lantern, the combination with a guard frame which is open at thetop for the insertion of the globe and is provided with fixed uprightmembers, and a lantern top hinged to the top portion of said frame, of ahasp which is movably connected at its upper end to the lantern top andwhich comprises two upright branches which, when the hasp is engagedwith one of the upright members of the guard frame, stand on oppositesides of such member, substantially as set forth.

3. In a lantern, the combination of a guard frame having upright membersand an oil pot which is rotatable within said frame toward and from thelocked position, a fastening for securing the oil pot in the lockedposition, a stop on said oil pot which stands adjacent to one of theupright guard members when the oil pot is in the locked position, andmeans for locking said stop to said member tation of the oil pot to theunlocked position, substantially as set forth.

4.. In a lantern, the combination with a guard frame which is open atthe top for the insertion of the globe, a lantern top hinged to suchframe, and an oil pot which is rotatable in said frame toward and fromthe locked position, of a hasp which is movably connected at its upperend to the lantern top and which engages at its lower end one of theguard members and at the same time secures the oil pot against rotationto the unlocked position, substantially as set forth.

5. In a lantern, the combination of a guard frame which is open at thetop for inserting the globe, a lantern top hinged to said frame, an oilpot which is rotatable in said frame toward and from the lockedposition, a hasp movably connected to the lantern top and adapted to beengaged at its lower end with a fixed member of the guard frame and tobe locked thereto, and a stop on the oil pot for interlocking the samewith said fixed meml ber against backward rotation to the unlockedposition, substantially as set forth.

of the guard frame to prevent backward ro- 6. In a lantern, thecombination of a guard frame which is open at the top for inserting theglobe, a lantern top hinged to said frame, an oil pot which is rotatablein said frame toward and from the locked position, a hasp movablyconnected to the lantern top and adapted to be engaged at its lower endwith a fixed member of the guard frame and to be locked thereto, and astop on the oil pot ar- 10 ranged to be held by said hasp and fixedguard member against backward rotation to the unlocked position,substantially as set forth.

W'itness my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES L. BETTS- itnesses RICHARD EVERETT, HOWARD L. FLETCHER.

